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A very special piece of racing history occurred at Looper Speedway in 1949, when pioneer female racer Sara Christian of Dahlonega, Georgia dominated the day.
Christian, recognized now as one of the pioneer drivers in NASCAR’s early days, swept the card at the track, winning the pole, her heat race and the feature over a field of top male drivers including Gober Sosebee and Chester Barron.
“I ended up qualifying third, Sara qualified on the pole,” Whitmire said. “I was running right up front behind her (at one point). I saw enough of her driving in the feature, and I could tell that woman knew how to drive a car.”
That same year, Christian would compete in the first NASCAR Cup Series race in Charlotte, North Carolina. She would become the first woman to score a top ten finish in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Langhorne Speedway in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Later that year, she finished fifth at Heidelberg Raceway near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in what remains the best finish in NASCAR Cup Series history for a female driver.
She would be named United States Drivers Association Woman Driver of the Year in 1949. In 2004, she was inducted into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
Georgia Racing Hall of Famer Sara Christian beat a field of men to score a victory in 1949 at Gainesville Speedway. Photo: ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images
excerpt from Access WDUN article
By Brandon Reed Reporter